Union Minister JP Nadda on Friday responded to National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah’s remarks blaming the central government for a ‘lower voter turnout’ in the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Addressing a press conference, Nadda dismissed Abdullah’s claim and stated, “He is bad in mathematics.”
Voter Turnout Comparison
Nadda pointed out the high voter turnout figures, saying, “If one wants to see the poll percentage, it used to be 6 to 8 per cent, but today it is 58 to 60 per cent. If he was bad in mathematics, what could I do? There was 60 per cent voting in the first phase and 58 per cent in the second phase.” He emphasized the significant increase in voter participation compared to previous elections.
Omar Abdullah’s Criticism of the Central Government
Earlier, Omar Abdullah had blamed the central government for the lower turnout, stating, “I was hoping for a little more turnout. Because there was no call for the boycott. There were no attacks. There was no attempt to suppress and threaten the voters. But I think the central government is also partially responsible for this situation. They have tried to present high turnout as a sign of normalcy at different places.”
Voter Turnout Details from the Second Phase
The Election Commission of India (ECI) reported a 57.31 per cent voter turnout in the second phase of the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The turnout percentages in individual districts were as follows: Budgam recorded 62.98 per cent, Ganderbal 62.51 per cent, Poonch 73.80 per cent, Rajouri 70.95 per cent, Reasi 74.70 per cent, and Srinagar 29.81 per cent. A total of 25.78 lakh electors were eligible to cast votes across the six districts involved in this phase to decide the fate of 239 candidates.
Upcoming Phases and Historic Context
The first phase of the assembly polls took place on September 18, and the third and final phase is scheduled for October 1. The counting of votes will be conducted on October 8. These elections mark the first assembly polls in the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370 and nearly a decade after the last elections were held.
